


The Most Beautiful Things

by nikkiixo



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Childhood Memories, Fluff, Mother-Son Relationship, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-26 10:56:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2649434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikkiixo/pseuds/nikkiixo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little story from Adam's short-lived childhood when things weren't so bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Beautiful Things

**Author's Note:**

> For more Fics check out my blog flawlessokay-okay.tumblr.com
> 
> I'd like to think Adam's childhood was short-lived but nevertheless happy. The character of Mrs. Parrish always slightly intrigued me, and for some reason, I hated the fact that she was portrayed in such a negative light. Yes, she was verbally and physically abused by her husband. Yes, she didn't stop the abuse when Adam had become the victim. No, I don't think what she did and is still doing is right, and yet I don't think she's a bad mom. I think she just forgot how to simply be one.

A couple of weeks into his second year of elementary school, after a field trip to the quite small yet rather remarkable Henrietta Botanical Garden, Adam Parrish fell head over heels in love for all flowers. He had lingered longer than the other students, his eyes swallowed everything whole. He had asked far too many questions, his curiosity as endless as the ocean, that his classmates had sent him quite a few looks from time to time. Adam had lost count of the amount of times he had suppressed the urge to reach out and touch the thousands of silky petals and crisp leaves that surrounded him. He found them all so enchanting. It was almost magical, the idea that such beautiful things could grow in the most unlikely of places. Adam was so enthralled that he never wanted to leave. So when his class exited the garden, and bid farewell to their guide, an overwhelming feeling of discontent and dissatisfaction settled into the pit of Adam’s stomach. 

On his way home, he decided to stop by the library. He pushed open the door and the smell of well read books hit him like a tidal wave. He breathed in the familiar scent, and his gaze met the librarian’s. 

“Good afternoon, Miss Sherry.”

Miss Sherry tilted her head and smiled, “What are you looking for today, honey?” 

Adam had always thought Miss Sherry’s voice was sweeter than pink lemonade on a summer’s day. Of course he didn’t tell her that. Instead he answered like he always did, “No, just looking.” 

And just like that Adam embarked on his search for the botany section. The task hadn’t been difficult, and once he had found it, the temptation to borrow every single book he could get his hands on was nearly impossible to avoid.

In less than a half an hour, while he walked towards the counter, Adam balanced a startling number of books in his small arms, and seemed ready to perform various acrobatic-like stunts to stop them from tumbling to the ground.

“Oh Adam,” Miss Sherry giggled as she handed him a bag, so he could pile his new found treasures in it. 

“Thank you, miss,” Adam mumbled shyly.

“Hmm are you thinking about starting a garden?” the librarian asked as she swiped Adam’s card, and handed it back to him.

The thought hadn’t crossed his mind yet, so Adam shook his head, and quickly left without another word.

xXx

“I’m home!” he had yelled upon entering his single-wide trailer. He kicked off his shoes and walked over to the kitchen area, his terry cloth bag of books dragging behind him.

Mrs. Parrish put down her bowl of potatoes and reaching to help her son place his bag on the small counter space. Adam climbed up on the single stool while he pulled out the first book, and began flipping through the pages.

They both stood in silence for a few moments: Adam’s eyes darted across the length of the page as his mom’s focused on the task of peeling the skin from the potato.

“Mama, why don’t we have a garden?” he asked finally, his eyes never left the image of a fascinating Caladium flower, native to the banks of the Amazon River.

Mrs. Parrish froze, and glanced out of the window on top of the sink that overlooked the barren yellow grassed yard. A frown tugged at her mouth. She anxiously picked at her nails, a habit she really should break, and whispered briefly, “No time.”

No time between the stories she drowned in that explained the permanent bruises that marked her skin to her coworkers. No time between the extra shifts she had to take in order to make up for the money Robert threw away on alcohol and cigarettes. No time between the lies she told herself every morning to convince herself everything was okay. No time between the fake smiles she put on for the world, the attempts at keeping something afloat that had already sunk, the nights of restless sleep where the guilt ate her alive, the days of trying to love a man who was just no good, no good at all-

“Mama?”

Mrs. Parrish looked up at her son, and remembered what she told herself every day since it had all gone sour: “I do it for him, all for him.”

xXx

The next day, after school, Adam made his way back to the library to return his books.

“Finished already?” asked Miss Sherry.

Adam simply nodded.

“I wanted to give you something,” Miss Sherry said, “Hold out your hand.”

Adam did exactly that, and watched as his librarian gently placed a small sachet in his palm.

Miss Sherry waited for his reaction, but Adam cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

“Flower seeds,” she stated, “So you can get started on that garden.” 

The confusion wore off, and was replaced with this unknown exhilaration, “What kind of flower?”

She winked. “You’ll just have to find out.” 

xXx

Upon his return home, Adam packed up a few tools and went out into his backyard. He found a spot in the sun, dug a small hole into the dirt, dropped his seeds in it, filled it with dirt, and then returned inside to tell his mother about the beginning of their new garden, hopeful and excited.

For the following weeks, Adam’s after school routine didn’t change: he went out into his yard, checked on his ‘garden’, watered it, and returned inside. The hope he had felt that first day had begun to dissipate as he noticed that there was little to no progress when it came to the growth of his flowers. There was one particular day when he had spent his entire evening sitting outside in the hopes that all the plant needed was a little extra company and encouragement to obtain its full magnificence. 

Mrs. Parrish had been watching that day, and had pulled open one of the few windows of their home.

“Still nothing, baby?” she called out.

Adam glanced back and shook his head. 

“Don’t worry, it just takes time,” she said, but this had only caused her son to bury his head in his hands in defeat which pained her more than she thought it could.

She never imagined that it was possible to break an already broken heart. There had to be something she could do.

xXx

Adam awoke to sunlight seeping through his bedroom window. He stretched out, and pried himself out of bed. He reluctantly yanked back the curtains to look out on the yard, and he was pleasantly surprised.

Before he could stop himself, he ran into his parents’ room, and pulled his mother out of bed. 

“Mama, you won’t believe what happened!” he cried as he grabbed his mother’s frail hand, and together they rushed out into the cool morning air. Adam’s eyes widened at the sight before him; he couldn't believe his meager seeds had grown into dozens of breathtaking lilies. The day before when all had seemed lost had never been farther away in his memory. Stunningly white giant lilies had grown in his own backyard. He breathed in the sweetness, the freshness of his lilies. In utter awe, he brought his fingers to gently graze the smooth texture of its petals. He felt alive, so much so that he struggled to contain his euphoria. He settled on turning around and smiling at his mother.

“Look, I did it, I really did it!” he said confidently and proudly.

Mrs. Parrish smiled in return, but the anxiety that loomed deep in her chest made her glance nervously down at the dirt beneath her nails from the previous night. The everlasting fear that had forever stuck itself to every fiber of her being urged her to quickly look back at the nearby trash can where she had hidden all the evidence from last night: the plastic pot, the bill, the Wal-Mart bag. The thought that Robert would uncover the truth had kept her up all night.

But the twinkle in Adam’s eyes, the pure joy in his laugh, and the sincerity of his smile made everything worth it, for it is true what they say: the most beautiful of things come from the most unlikely of places.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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